Odin NAND Erasing Guide | Repartition Samsung devices

Odin is mainly used by users to flash firmware binaries and custom recovery. However, Odin can also be used to repartition, flash lock, unzip data, flash user data, and wipe all data on Samsung Galaxy devices. You can also remove FRP (Factory Reset Protection) on Samsung and perform some very complicated tasks. In this tutorial, explain what Odin NAND Erase or NAND Erase All is and how you can use it to erase all data and repartition a Samsung phone or Galaxy Tab.

Actually, Odin isn't just a simple flash tool for flashing stock firmware. It is meant to be used only in Samsung service centers by Samsung engineers to fix non-working Galaxy devices. Do you know that Odin can flash or install firmware on Samsung Galaxy devices at the same time?

Either way, let's keep our focus on Odin's “Erase Nand” option. I know a guy who enabled Nand Erase in Odin while installing firmware on his Galaxy S9 just out of curiosity. You know what, he ended up with a brick-built phone. Nand Erase had erased all partitions on his S9 including EFS, boot, recovery, kernel and system partitions. Fortunately, he was able to fix his phone by following one of my tutorials posted on another website.

NAND Erases the meaning in Odin

NAND and NOR are actually 2 main types of flash memory , which is computer related and stores BIOS settings in a computer's ROM. Since Android devices don't have a BIOS, flash memory or NAND refers to the OS bootloader and kernel that work together to boot Android devices into the system.

NAND is neither an acronym for a term used to express a boolean or logical NOT AND gate . Being a non-volatile memory, it keeps the essential OS data even when your Android smartphone is turned off.

Therefore, when it comes to Android, NAND memory stores the following partitions of your Android device.

• boot

• core

• recovery

• system

• data

• cache

• .android_secure

• data

• wimax

• ef

• preload

When you create a nandroid backup, an exact mirror of all partitions and directory structures above is created. Similarly, when you do a NAND wipe in Odin, you wipe all partitions on your Samsung Galaxy device. Put simply, you will end up with a device without an operating system. One simple piece of hardware is all you get since boot, kernel, system restore, data, EFS, etc. have already been deleted. Of course, your Samsung phone or tablet won't boot at all except in Odin or Download mode.

It is not possible to repair a Samsung device after an unintentional NAND wipe action simply by flashing the stock firmware. Since NAND wipe erases all existing partitions from the device memory, you will need to repartition your device in Odin with the help of an appropriate Partition Information Table (PIT) file.

What is partition in Odin?

As I mentioned earlier, flash or NAND memory on Android devices is divided into partitions and block structures. These partitions are essential for the proper functioning of a device. It is the PIT file that tells Odin how much space to allocate for boot, kernel, system restore, data, EFS. Not only that, it is also responsible for the location and path of these partition blocks in the internal memory.

The Re-partition option in Odin is not meant to be used during a normal firmware flash. If you need to install a firmware, simply add the BL, AP, CP and CSC files to Odin and don't change the default settings.

The PIT file determines the structure, location and size of specific partitions. Since a NAND wipe erases all partitions, the only way to repartition the device is to flash a PIT file strictly for the Samsung Galaxy device model and storage capacity. The flashing of an incorrect PIT can result in a semi-brick device. Also, if you flash the PIT file of a 128GB device model to a 256GB model, the phone may be configured to only show 128GB as available storage. I have personally encountered this problem on my Nexus 6P.

You don't have to enable Re-Partition in Odin unless you have the correct PIT file. When you click Pit in Odin, it will show you a warning.

Odin warning about PIT selection

It means you don't need to flash a PIT file under normal circumstances. In certain situations, when the partition table of your Samsung device is damaged, manual flashing of the PIT may be the only way to solve the problem. If you find that the IMEI number of your Samsung Galaxy phone is missing, it may be due to a damaged EFS partition. You can restore the lost IMEI by flashing the partition information table. You can follow these steps to flash PIT file only in Odin.

1. Boot your device into Download mode.

2. Launch Odin and connect your device to PC.

3. Add the BL , AP , CP and CSC binaries to the corresponding sections.

4. Select the Breakdown option.

5. Click the PIT and add the correct PIT file for your device model.

6. Hitting the Start on Odin wait for the installation to finish.

Note that the re-partitioning procedure will erase your phone's data, so make a backup before proceeding.

Steps to re-partition and delete Nand using Odin

Finally, let's see how we can perform a NAND wipe in Odin and repartition a Samsung device by wiping user data and all partitions. You can also repair your phone in case you accidentally or unknowingly deleted all data. The steps described below will also help you to restore lost IMEI on your Galaxy smartphone.

Below are the steps to flash stock firmware on Samsung devices with Nand Erase and Re-partition option enabled.

Preparations and downloads

There are a few things you need to do before taking action.

1. 
   

   1. Download the appropriate firmware for your smartphone or Galaxy Tab. Here are the 6 best Samsung firmware downloads s and websites from which you can download BL, AP, CP and CSC files for your device. Once the firmware is downloaded, extract the ZIP file.

   2. Install the Samsung USB driver on your PC.

   3. Download the latest Odin and extract the downloaded zip to your desktop.

   4. Enable USB debugging from Developer options in the device settings. Skip this step if your device is unable to boot at all.

   5. You will also need the correct PIT for your Samsung device. You can easily extract the PIT from the CSC rail. Just add the '.ZIP' extension after .tar.md5 and unzip it. You will find the PIT for your phone inside the extracted folder.

Instructions for flashing the firmware in Odin

Note: Please note that performing a firmware flash using the method described below will wipe the phone data. It is highly recommended that you backup your phone data in advance.

1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy device and boot it into Android Recovery Mode . The method and key combination to enter recovery mode on Samsung Galaxy devices vary from device to device. You need to hold down a certain hardware key combination for 5-7 seconds. There is an easier way which involves using ADB commands and it works on all Android devices. However, you need to set up the Android SDK platform tools first. Below I will mention all the possible methods:

   • Devices with Home button: Home + Volume Up + Power Buttons

   • Galaxy devices with Bixby key: Bixby + Volume up + Power keys

   • Samsung devices with no Bixby key: Volume up + Volume down + Power buttons (also, you have to hold the Volume down key when the Samsung logo appears on the screen).

   • Galaxy Tabs: Volume down + power buttons (on some models, you need to press the Volume up key instead).

   • All Android devices: Make sure your device is turned on. Connect your device to computer via USB cable. Unzip and open the platform-tools-latest file and launch the command prompt window within this folder window. Then run the ' adb devices ' and ' adb restart reset ' commands one after the other. Your Samsung device will restart in recovery mode.

• Once the recovery menu appears on the screen, highlight the Wipe data / factory reset using the Volume Down button and select it by pressing the Power key. When the warning screen appears, select "yes" to confirm and press the power key to erase the device.

• When the phone boots up, go to Settings and enable USB debugging from Developer options . This is not a mandatory requirement though.

• Boot your Samsung device into download mode. You can use one of the key combinations mentioned below. You need to hold down the hardware keys for 2-3 seconds. Alternatively, you can use the ' adb restart bootloader ' command to enter the Download Mode .

• Open the Odin folder and launch the Odin3_v3.xx.exe file .

• Now connect your Samsung device to your Windows PC using the USB cable that came with your device. When Odin detects your Samsung device, the ID: COM port will be highlighted. You'll also see 'Added! 'message in the log box to indicate a successful connection.

• Click the BL on Odin, go to the firmware folder and add the firmware binary starting with ' BL ' in its name. Then click on AP , CP and CSC and add the appropriate binaries as well.

• After adding the firmware binaries, click on Options in Odin and select Nand Erase and Re-Partition .

• Then click Pit in Odin and select OK when you see the warning pop-up. Click the PIT go to the PIT file and add it.

Make sure Odin's final setup looks like the following screen.

• If everything looks good to you, it's time for Odin to do his job. Click the Start .

• This will start the firmware installation. You can check the progress of the deletion, partitioning and installation of the Odin Nand firmware in the log box. You will also see the Erasing NAND in Odin's Journal.

• All you need to do now is rest a little after your hard work and wait for the firmware installation to finish.

• The whole process should take about 5-7 minutes and after that you will get ' PASS! 'in Odin and your Samsung device will reboot.

That's all! You can now disconnect the USB cable and close the Odin window. You have successfully flashed the stock firmware on your Samsung device with NAND Odin wipe and partition enabled. If you need help with anything as you go through this tutorial, don't forget to leave a comment.